The small village of Cambuskenneth lies directly to the east of
Stirling itself. The village is enclosed
within a broad loop in the River Forth and the only road in or out heads north
for a mile before meeting the A907 near
Stirling University
and the Wallace Monument.

The West
Side of the Bell Tower

Bell Tower Doorway

Bell Tower from the
Cloister

Foundations of the
Abbey

Burial Ground Archway

Wall Line

A footbridge was constructed across the river in 1934 to link the
village to the centre of Stirling, but
Cambuskenneth still retains a slightly odd sense of close proximity to the city
to its west, but almost complete separateness from it. It feels very much as if
it is on an island.

It was probably this same combination of convenience and seclusion
that led King David I to
found an abbey here in 1140. Originally known as the Abbey of St Mary or the
Abbey of Stirling, Cambuskenneth Abbey rapidly gathered considerable wealth and
influence because of its royal patronage and its links with
Stirling Castle. It seems likely
that a ferry operated across the River Forth where the footbridge was later
built to allow links to be maintained between abbey and town without a
significant detour to the north over what would have been boggy ground.

Tomb of James III and
Margaret

The Tomb from the South
West

Inside the Bell Tower

Ground Floor Ceiling,
Bell Tower

Path to the
Riverside Ruin

Standing Wall of
Riverside Ruin

At its height at the end of the 1200s Cambuskenneth comprised an
extensive complex of buildings. This included a large abbey church, some 60m
long. To its south was the usual cloister surrounded by ranges of domestic
buildings. Between the cloister and the river to its east stood secondary
ranges of buildings and a wharf. The canons who lived and worshipped at
Cambuskenneth Abbey were initially members of the Arrouaisian Order, based in
northern France. The abbey later came under the control of the much better
known Augstinian Order. The canons' role was to pray for the soul of their
patron, the King of Scotland, and his family. They also worked in the community
beyond the confines of the abbey and undertook administrative roles in the
royal court.

Cambuskenneth's closeness to Stirling Castle gained it few favours
from passing English armies during the Wars of Independence from the end of the
1200s. In 1314 King Robert
I held a parliament at the abbey following his victory over the English at
the nearby Battle of Bannockburn.
Another parliament held here in 1326 agreed the line of royal succession that
would in 1371 place the first of the
Stewart dynasty on
the throne of Scotland.

By 1383 the abbey was attacked and largely destroyed by the army of
King Richard III of England. It was rebuilt during the early 1400s and once
again used by Scotland's royalty while in residence at
Stirling Castle.

On 11 June 1488 the nearby Battle of Sauchie took place between
James III's army and
supporters of his 15 year old son,
James, Duke of Rothesay
(see our Historical
Timeline). James III
fled before the battle commenced, and he was subsequently murdered by an
unknown hand. His body was brought to Cambuskenneth Abbey and he was buried in
front of the high altar of the abbey church, alongside his Queen,
Margaret of Denmark,
who had died in 1486.

Today their last resting place is marked by a fine tomb surrounded
by railings, with views that include the Wallace Monument to the north and
Stirling Castle to the west. But now
the abbey church and most of the abbey has gone, this seems a slightly sad and
incongruous burial place for a king, even for one of Scotland's more unpopular
kings. The tomb you see today was paid for by
Queen Victoria following
the discovery of two coffins under the site of the high altar during
restoration in 1865 that were believed to contain the remains of the royal
couple.

After the Reformation the abbey
became a quarry for stone reused in various parts of
Stirling itself, and in particular in the
building of Mar's Wark, a mansion close to
Stirling Castle. Apart from the bell
tower which still stands today, very little was left by the time the site was
excavated by William Mackison, the Stirling Burgh Architect, in 1864. The tower
probably survived as a valuable lookout over the extensive flatlands in the
valley of the River Forth.

Today's visitor finds an intriguing site comprising a number of
very different elements. Access is beyond a cattle grid at the end of the road
through the village and across a field sometimes used for grazing cattle.
Parking arrangements are unclear: we've found it best to park on the street,
while avoiding residents' drives.

As already noted, the only standing building is the abbey's bell
tower, probably built in the 1300s, and heavily restored in the 1860s. Nearby
is a small burial gound. The rest of the abbey's main complex, including the
abbey church and cloister, is visible only from stone courses on the ground
showing the tops of the foundations. The enclosure and the tomb of
James III and
Margaret of Denmark
comprise the third aspect of today's Cambuskenneth Abbey.

But perhaps the most interesting part of any visit to the abbey is
the least obvious. Beyond the railed enclosure surrounding the main abbey
complex are more remains and ruins in the rough pasture leading down to the
side of the tidal River Forth. These seem to correspond to the secondary ranges
of buildings shown on the information boards on the site, and if so give a very
rare opportunity to explore parts of an abbey ruin "in the wild". It isn't at
all clear why stonework was left above ground in this area following the
Reformation: though perhaps the area's rather spooky reputation might hold at
least a partial answer.